LONGVIEW, Texas — The Kilgore Police Department says an officer who was involved in a fatal shooting at a Longview-area emergency room in late November has been no-billed by a grand jury.
According to the KPD, just before 9 p.m., on Sunday, November 27, Sgt. Joshua Vercher was working an off-duty security job at Hospitality Health ER, located at 3111 McCann Rd. in Longview.
"Sergeant Vercher was dressed in our daily uniform and had exited his marked patrol unit which was parked near the ER entrance when the individual walked up to him and asked him his name," the KPD said in a statement. "This individual had his left hand in his pocket and was clearly clutching something. Without provocation, the individual began to pull the object from his left pocket."
The KPD says Sgt. Vercher asked the man, who the Texas Department of Public Safety identified as Calvin L. Brown Jr., 61, of Longview, if he had a gun. Sgt. Vercher then grabbed Brown's left hand in an attempt to stop him.
"A very brief struggle ensued but the Sergeant was unable to disarm this individual," police said. "The sergeant pushed him away to create distance at which point the individual produced a firearm, and Sergeant Vercher was required to discharge his weapon to protect himself. Emergency medical staff were summoned by Sergeant Vercher to aid this individual. This individual received emergency care inside the Emergency Room but succumbed to his wound."
Sgt. Vercher was not injured.
Per KPD policy, Sgt. Vercher was placed on administrative leave pending investigation, which was led by the Texas Rangers.
According to the KPD, on Wednesday, a Gregg County grand jury was presented with the Texas Rangers' case.
After going over the evidence and body camera footage, the grand jury declined to indict (no-billed) Sgt. Vercher.
"It is extremely unfortunate that an individual lost his life during this encounter, and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family," the KPD said. "The investigation has revealed this individual was in a mental health crisis at the time of the encounter. We all know that mental health issues are real, and they have impacted many of our families, too. Since July 2022, 988 has been designated as the new three-digit dialing code that will route callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. No matter what is going on in your life, there is someone who will answer. They have operators who are fluent in Spanish and other languages as well."